The Chemical Corps and Homeland Security
Abstract
Homeland security is the number one priority in the draft National Military Strategy released in September 2002. The US Army Chemical Corps has, in its recent history, focused on supporting the Army's overseas force projection mission. All equipment, doctrine and training is developed and fielded for this mission. With the advent of terrorism in the United States, there have been on-going discussions on refocusing the mission to include the homeland security mission. Technology and regulations have changed the civil response landscape since the Chemical Corps was last involved in the 1960's. Responders in the US now must fulfill a bewildering array of required training and equipment certifications before they can legally respond in the US. This paper examines the historical Chemical Corps mission and the homeland defense mission (to include Posse Comitatus). It also examines the Chemical Corps through elements of the Army Force Management requirements generating process (Doctrine, Organizations, Training and Materiel) to determine whether the homeland security mission can be feasibly supported by the Army Chemical Corps. A discussion of what the Chemical Corps would do in Homeland Security operations is also included. Finally, recommendations on changes to Chemical Corps' doctrine, training and missions are included.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 07, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA415740
Entities
People
- Robert D. Walk
Organizations
- United States Army War College